Calendar clock



M. P. BELL CALENDAR CLOCK July 12, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 16,1952 July 12, 1955 M. P. BELL 2,712,725

CALENDAR CLOCK Filed Oct. 16, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Manue/ P. Bel/mmvroze.

Atmney:

vide a' date the days of the months thereon and a power driven line -5and showing the its accommodating recess;

United rates Patent Gfifice tad 2,712,725 CALENDAR CLGCK Manuel P. Bell,Albuquerque, N. Mex. Application Qctober 16, E52, Serial No. 315,tl39 4Claims. (Cl. 58-6) primary object a dating mechanism that is operativelyconnected to a clock so that the year. month, day of the month, and dayof the week will be readily observable.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a datemechanism including novel and improved means for automaticallydisplaying the twenty-ninth day of February every four years.

Yet another object of the present invention is to proinechanismincluding an endless tape hav ng rnem drive to be periodically engaginga the tape until the 29th day of February is A further object of "the acalendar clock that is in structure and present invention is to provideextremely small and compact which involves a simple drive connectionwith the hand supporting shaft of a clock.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a datemechanism of the aforementioned character, that is extremely simple andpractical in construction, strong and reliablc'in use, efficient anddurable in operation, inexpensive tomanufacture, and otherwise welladapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencesbeing had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof wherein likenumetals refer to like parts throughout,

' a front elevational view of the present invention and with the frontwall of the casing broken away for theconvenience of explanation;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View taken substantiallyon the plane of broken section line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken through the-upper portionof the invention shown in Figure 2;

-Figure l is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sec ional viewtakensubstantially on the plane of section line 44 of-rigure 1;

= Figure 5 is an enlarged detailed fragmentary vertical sectional viewtaken substantially on the plane of section tooth element disposedwithin Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5 but showing the toothelement projected radially outwardly of the supporting member therefor;

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the planeof section line 7 7 of Figure 5;

- Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view takensubstantially on the plane of section line 3-8 of Figure 1;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of one of the spider members used in theinvention;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of the other spider member used in theinvention; and

represents a casing having forward and rear walls 12 and 14.

an electric clock 13 of any well known structure. The forward wall 12 isalso provided with a pair of sidebyside slots and 22 and an upper slot24. Transparent strips 26 are suitably held in the slots 20, 22, 24. Therear wall 14 is provided with an opening 28 in which there is positioneda removable closure or door 30 having latch means 32 for retaining thesame in its closed position.

A vertical supporting; wall 34 is fixed within the casing, preferably tothe upper and lower walls of the casing and supports upper and lowergroups of horizontally disposed guide rollers or spools 36 and 38. Anendless indicia bearing strip or tape 4i is trained back and forth 42,4s and the tape trained 44-, 45 slack in the tape.

engaged by a lug or dog 56 on a 40 as the latter is moved. The tape 4%has all months and days of the months thereon including February 29, andthe lug 56 is so disposed that it will of the ratchet 54 the indicia theslot 22 to change anism 59.

A bracket 58 is secured to and wall of casing 10 and rotatably disposedtubular shaft or spindle 60 which forms the driving shaft for the tape Arod 62 extends axially through the shaft 6t) and its ends projectoutwardly from the ends of the shaft 60 and support a wheel 64- and asprocket 66. Wheel 64 has the days of the week thereon that willsequentially register with the slot 20 as the rod 62 is rotated. Theshaft 60 has a sprocket 66 fixed thereon and the sprocket 63 is spacedfrom and disposed alongside of the sprocket 66. The sprockets 66 and 68are similar in size and ha equal number of circumferentially spacedteeth thereon.

A support bracket 76 is fixed to a side wall of casing It) and rotatablysupports a vertical shaft 72 having upper and lower bevelled gears 74and 76 fixedly secured to its ends. The bevelled gear 76 meshes with asimilar bevelled gear 78 at one end of a horizontal shaft 80. The shaft8% is rotatably supported by the casing of clock 18 and its inner endcarries a bevel gear 82 depends from the upper supports a horizontally,A horizontal shaft $3 is rotatably supported in bearings carried by thebracket One end of shaft fixedly supports a bevel gear 91 that mesheswith gears 74- whereas the other end of shaft 88 fixedly supports anperipheral tooth 94 (Figure 4) for engaging the sprockets 66, 63 torotate both shafts 60 and rod 62.

Member 92 is formed with a peripheral recess or slot 96 having an endwall 98. A movable tooth element 100 is slidable in the recess 76radially of the member .5 92 and carries a headed lug 102 at one endwhose shank is slidably received in a guide slot 104 formed in end wall98. A coil spring 106 terminally secured to lug 102 and member 92yieldingly urges the tooth element 100 radially inwardly of member 92and within recess 96.

Means is provided for moving the tooth element 100 radially outwardly ofthe recess 96 and this means comprises a sliding wedge 108 whose slopingface engages the slanting face 116 of tooth element 100. Recess 96 isformed with a shoulder 112 for engaging the notch 114 of wedge 168 tolimit movement of the wedge away from the tooth element. An arm 116 isslidably and pivotally attached, as 118, to the sliding wedge 168, asshown in Figure 7, and is adapted to engage a stop or abutment 120 onbracket 70.

When tooth element 100 is urged radially outwardly from the recess 96 bythe wedge 1118, as shown in Figure 6, the tooth element 100 will engagebetween two teeth of ratchet 68 to permit rotation of the member 22 andshaft 66 as a unit until the tooth element 100 clears ratchet 68.

Means is provided for engaging the arm 116 to move the wedge forcefullyagainst the tooth element in order to urge the latter to its positionshown in Figure 6. This means consists of a plate element 122 that isfixed to the bracket 70 and which supports a horizontal pin 124 for aswingable arm 126. A ring element 128a is fixed to the lower end of arm126 and a contact shoe or tooth 128 is fixed to the upper end of arm126.

A hanger bracket 130 secured to the upper wall of casing rotatablysupports a horizontal rod 132 having spider members 134 and 136 fixed toits ends. Member 134 is composed of four radially disposed arms, whereasmember 136 is composed of but three radially disposed arms whoserelative positions are shown in Figures 8 and 9. A spring urged lockingpawl 138, pivoted to bracket 130, will sequentially engage the arms ofmember 134 to prevent back rotation of rod 132 and hence the members 134and 136.

Rod 132 is disposed perpendicular to the vertical flight portion of tape46 that registers with the slot 22 and member 134 is disposed relativelyclose to a side edge of tape 40 to be engaged by a lug or dog 140 thatis secured to this side edge as the tape is moved. Lug 140 is disposedadjacent the February 26 indicia on tape 40 so that the February 28indicia approaches slot 22, lug 140 will engage one arm of the member134 to rotate members 134 and 136 ninety degrees. As this step is beingaccomplished, one arm of member 136 will engage tooth 128 to swing arm126 and cause ring element 123a to engage arm 116 and move the wedgeagainst the tooth element 160 and the latter radially outwardly ofmember 92. Arm 116 continues to ride against element 128 as the member92 is rotated until the arm 116 engages the stop 125) whereupon the arm116 will be pivoted out of engagement with the ring element 128a, thuspermitting the wedge 108 to be pulled away from the tooth element 1% byaction of the spring 106. Tooth element 100 when disposed radiallyoutwardly of the member 92, as shown in Figure 6, will engage thesprocket 68 to move the tape 46 an additional step which causes February29 to pass over the slot 22.

The above procedure is repeated for three successive years since themember 136 is provided with three arms. However, the fourth year (leapyear) as the fourth arm of member 134 is engaged by lug 140, member 136is rotated without engaging the tooth 123 of arm 126, and hence toothelement 166 is retracted and will not engage sprocket 68 so thatFebruary 29 will register with the slot 22.

It will be noted that the tooth 94 will engage both the sprockets 66 and68 to rotate the tape one step and the wheel 64 one step. However, anadditional step of movement for tape 46 is accomplished by tooth eleillA ment engaging the sprocket 68, this latter step being. accomplishedfor three successive years, by the actuation of the tooth element 100 inthe following manner:

The lug 140 upon movement of the tape 41) will contact the arms ofmember 134. This will cause rotation of the rod 132 on which the member134 as well as the member 136 are rigidly affixed, and rotation of therod 132 will, for three of each four years, cause an: arm of member 136to actuate the ring member 128a and press it against the arm 116 holdingthe arm 116 and hence the tooth element 100 in engagement with the:sprocket 68 to give the sprocket 68 an extra turn. The arm 116 is freedfrom engagement with the ring me1n-- ber 128a by contact with the stopwhich causes the arm 116 to pivot outside of the diameter of the ringmember 128a.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. A calendar clock comprising a casing having a front wall withopenings therein, a clock supported in one of the openings and includinga driven hand-supporting shaft, an endless date bearing strip within thecasing, guide rollers in the casing over which the strip is trained, thedates on said strip adapted to sequentially register with an opening inthe front wall, a drive roller over which said strip is trained, saiddrive roller being tubular, a rod extending through and journaled insaid drive roller, a day indicating roller fixed on the rod andregistering with an opening in said front wall, a first sprocket fixedon said driven roller, a second sprocket fixed on said rod, a drivenmember operatively connected to said shaft for rotation therewith andhaving a tooth for engaging the sprockets to rotate the driven spool andthe rod, a second tooth carried by the member and engageable with thesprocket on said driven roller and movable radially outwardly from andinwardly of the periphery of said member, means for engaging and urgingthe second tooth radially outwardly from the member, means engageablewith the second tooth urging means permitting retraction of the latter,and means on the strip for engaging the second tooth urging means tomove the latter to a position for forcing the second tooth radiallyoutwardly from the member.

2. A calendar clock comprising a casing having a front wall withopenings therein, a clock supported in one of the t openings andincluding a driven hand-supporting shaft, an

endless date bearing strip within the casing, guide rollers in thecasing over which the strip is trained, the dates on said strip adaptedto sequentially register with an opening in the front wall, a driveroller over which said strip is trained, said drive roller beingtubular, a rod extending through and journaled in said drive roller, aday indicating roller fixed on the rod and registering with an openingin said front wall, a first sprocket fixed on said driven roller, asecond sprocket fixed on said rod, a driven member operatively connectedto said shaft for rotation therewith and having a tooth for engaging thesprockets to rotate the driven spool and the rod, a second tooth carriedby the member and engageable with the sprocket on said driven roller andmovable radially outwardly from and inwardly of the periphery of saidmember, a sliding wedge carried by the member and engageable with thesecond tooth to urge the latter radially outwardly from the member,means engageable with the wedge to permit retraction of the same, andactuating means on the strip for periodically causing actuation of thewedge to move the same to a position dially outwardly from the member.

3. A calendar clock comprising a casing having a front wall withopenings therein, a clock supported in one of the openings and includinga driven hand-supporting shaft, an endless date bearing strip within thecasing, guide rollers in the casing over which the strip is trained, thedates on said strip adapted to sequentially register with an opening inthe front wall, a drive roller over which said strip is trained, saiddrive roller being tubular, a rod extending for urging the second toothral t5 through and journaled in said drive roller, a day indicatinroller fixed on the rod and registering with an opening ing roller fixedon the rod and registering with an opening in said front wall, a firstsprocket fixed on said driven in said front wall, a first sprocket fixedon said driven roller, a second sprocket fixed on said rod, a drivenmemrolier, a second sprocket fixed on said rod, a driven memberoperatively connected to said shaft for rotation thereber operativelyconnected to said shaft for rotation ther 3 with and having a tooth forengaging the sprockets to with and having a tooth for engaging thesprockets to rotate the driven spool and the rod, a second toothcarrotate the driven spool and the rod, a second tooth carried by themember and eng geable with the sprocket on ried by the member andengageable with the sprocket on said driven roller and movable radiallyoutwardly from said driven roller and movable radially outwardly fromand inwardly of the periphery of said member, a sliding and inwardly ofthe periphery of said member, a sliding 10 wedge carried by the memberand engageable with the wedge carried by the member and engageable withthe second tooth to urge the latter radially outwardly from second toothto urge the latter radially outwardly from the member, means engageablewith the Wedge to permit the member, means engageable with the wedge topermit retraction of the same, and actuating means on the stripretraction of the same, and actuating means on the strip forperiodically causing actuation of the Wedge to move 4. A calendar clockcomprising a casing having a front 20 Refelmcfis Cited in the fi f th spa en wall with openings therein, a clock supported n one of the UNITEDSTATES PATENTS openings and includlng a driven hand-supporting shaft, anendless date bearing strip within the casing, guide rollers 9941122Casslty June 61 1911 in the casing over which the strip is trained, thedates on said strip adapted to sequentially register with an open- 25FOREIGN PATENTS ing in the front Wall, a drive roller over which saidstrip 307,445 Germany Aug. 29, 1913 is trained, said drive roller beingtubular, a rod extending 561,601 Germany July 13, 1933 through andjournaled in said drive roller, a day indicat- 238,181 Switzerland Jan.16, 1946

